IT was not long ago when clippings of newspapers, with their black ink and screaming headlines, serve as a memento to mark every important event in history.
Now, it's memes.
It's a sign of the times we live in that memes, fan-created art cards and videos that often attempt to be witty and are almost always funny, have taken the place of traditional media and provided the timestamps to remember events by, more so the viral variety.
It's no longer the early-evening news or the witty tabloid headline. Nowadays it's the hilarious meme or real talk from a Facebook friend you came across while scrolling your timeline, or the quote card or a link to a story shared on your group chat.
COMMENTARY: It's not the coach, folks
Gilas Pilipinas' campaign at the 2023 Fiba Basketball World Cup is unique, not only because it is at the single biggest event ever hosted by the country, but also because it has shaken the nation like no other sports event has in the digital age.
All the pent-up emotions from fans came out in memes that have flooded social media during this World Cup. A lot are funny; some below the belt. Some downright rude, some brutally honest but fair, sometimes expressing what mainstream media couldn't.
Some hit the nail on the head.
Most of all, memes have become the form of expression of a fan base dying to be heard by leagues and sports officials that have hired social media managers to engage fans, yet forget that the best way to connect with someone is to listen.
Take a look:
From the very start, Gilas fans were emotionally invested, beginning with the selection of the members of the World Cup team. One meme best captured what they felt when the Final 12 were announced.
There was excitement at the start, giving way to funny posts like this one from the opening ceremony and first double-header at the Philippine Arena.
The mood changed as soon as the losses started piling up. Meme factories went into overdrive, flooding social media with cards like the one below, which expressed dismay over the disorganized Gilas play against Angola.
When the make-or-break group-stage game against Italy came around, guarded optimism was replaced by frustration and anger, especially on the coaching and Gilas' ice-cold shooting.
For some fans, it doesn't need super powers to know who ought to be in charge of the Gilas Pilipinas program.
By the time the classification stage rolled along, some fans couldn't case less who played for Gilas.
In the wake of another World Cup letdown, some diehard fans refuse to give up on the team, offering a to-do list to right the Gilas ship.
Will they finally listen? Don't keep your hopes up.
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